Cartilage is a resilient and smooth elastic tissue, rubber-like padding that covers and protects the ends of long bones at the joints, and is a structural component of the rib cage, the ear, the nose, the bronchial tubes, the intervertebral discs, and many other body components. It is not as hard and rigid as bone, but it is much stiffer and much less flexible than muscle. 

Because of its rigidity, cartilage often serves the purpose of holding tubes open in the body. Examples include the rings of the trachea, such as the cricoid cartilage and carina. 

Cartilage is composed of specialized cells called chondrocytes that produce a large amount of collagenous extracellular matrix, abundant ground substance that is rich in proteoglycan and elastin fibers. Cartilage is classified in three types, "elastic cartilage", "hyaline cartilage" and "fibrocartilage", which differ in relative amounts of collagen and proteoglycan. 

Cartilage does not contain blood vessels (it is avascular) or nerves (it is aneural). Nutrition is supplied to the chondrocytes by diffusion. The compression of the articular cartilage or flexion of the elastic cartilage generates fluid flow, which assists diffusion of nutrients to the chondrocytes. Compared to other connective tissues, cartilage has a very slow turnover of its extracellular matrix and does not repair. In embryogenesis, the skeletal system is derived from the mesoderm germ layer. Chondrification (also known as chondrogenesis) is the process by which cartilage is formed from condensed mesenchyme tissue, which differentiates into chondroblasts and begins secreting the molecules (aggrecan and collagen type II) that form the extracellular matrix. What are the answers to this following set of questions: 1. What substance can cartilage be compared to?
2. Is it flexible or rigid?
3. Where is cartilage located in the body?
4. Anywhere else?
5. What is cartilage like compared to muscle?
6. What kinds of cells is cartilage made up of?
7. What are they called?
8. What do they produce?
9. How many types of cartilage are there?
10. How do they differ?
11. How do cartilage cells get nutrition?
12. How often does cartilage repair itself?
13. Does cartilage have blood vessels?
Answer: 1. other connective tissues
2. flexibl
3. , the ear,
4. the rib cage
5. stiffer
6. specialized cells
7. chondrocytes
8. matrix
9. three
10. in relative amounts of collagen and proteoglycan
11. diffusion
12. never
13. no

Problem: Hempstead, New York (CNN) -- President Barack Obama and Republican challenger Mitt Romney face off Tuesday in the second of their three debates, this one in a town hall-style setting in which they'll take questions from likely voters. 

The stakes couldn't be higher: Obama must get his campaign back on track after a poor performance in the first debate that left Democrats demoralized and Obama's lead evaporating both in national polls and those in key battleground states. For Romney, who polls among voters showed won the first debate overwhelmingly, a second strong performance would boost his momentum going into the third debate next Monday and the final two weeks before Election Day. 

Here are five things to watch for on Tuesday: 

1. Connecting with the audience 

Unlike the first presidential showdown in Denver two weeks ago, this debate will include a town hall audience of approximately 80 undecided voters, some of whom will get the chance to ask questions to the two candidates. 

It's a completely different dynamic than the first face-off between the president and the Republican nominee. 

"The challenge is that they've got to connect, not just with the people that are looking into the television and watching them, but to the people that are on the stage with them," the debate's moderator, CNN Chief Political Correspondent Candy Crowley, said. 

Get instant updates on CNN's live blog 

"They have to keep those folks in mind. It's a much more intimate and up close adventure with voters. The candidate that makes a connection with the person asking the question is also making a better connection with the person back at home," added Crowley, who's also the host of CNN's "State of the Union." 
1. who is the debate's moderator?
2. who is she?
3. what else does she host?
4. is this the first debate?
5. then?
6. what kind of a setting will it be?
7. is the setting of the 2nd similar to the 1st?
8. who is in the debate?
9. what party is Romney?
10. who was better in the 1st?
11. how long before elections is the last one?
12. where was the first one?
13. how many people will be there for the 2nd?
14. what will the audience get to do?
15. how did the democrats feel after the 1st?
16. what day is this debate?
17. and what day is the third?
18. what is the challenge in this one?
19. do they connect just with the audience?
20. then who else?
Answer: 1. Candy Crowley
2. CNN Chief Political Correspondent
3. "State of the Union"
4. No
5. 2nd
6. Town hall
7. No
8. Barack Obama and Mitt Romney
9. Republican
10. Romney
11. Two weeks
12. Denver
13. About 80 undecided voters, other numbers unknown
14. Ask questions
15. Demoralized
16. Tuesday
17. Monday
18. To connect with voters
19. No
20. To the people watching on TV, and in person.

question: (CNN) -- An interview with a choreographer for the Miss Universe pageant spurred controversy Wednesday over alleged claims that Donald Trump personally selects some of the finalists. 

Donald Trump is at the center of a brewing controversy over the Miss Universe finalists. 

The Q&A with Michael Schwandt, which appeared on Guanabee.com, quotes him as saying that "it's just kind of common knowledge that [Trump] picks six of the top 15 single-handedly." 

"And, his reason for doing so, as he told me and he's told the girls before, is that he left it all up to preliminary judging in the past, and some of the most beautiful women, in his opinion, were not in the top 15, and he was kind of upset about that," the story quotes Schwandt as saying. "And he decided that he would pick a certain number and let the judges pick a certain number." 

Via e-mail, Schwandt said that he "was speaking in hypothetical jest" when he said Trump picks some of the finalists and said the mogul has never spoken to either him, or any of his team, about the selection process. 

"The story posted on that site contains many misquotes and [is] highly inaccurate," Schwandt wrote. "I would like to disassociate myself from it completely and anything negative in regards to Miss Universe or even suggesting that Donald Trump 'rigs' his event. I'm perplexed as to why Guanabee.com would run a story such as this when they are aware that it is inaccurate." 

Daniel Mauser, publisher of Guanabee, said his site stands by the story, which resulted after Schwandt was contacted about his role choreographing both the pageant and a much talked-about performance by reality-star-turned-singer Heidi Montag. 
1. What was the controversy over the Miss Universe pageant?
2. Who said said it was him?
3. What was Trump's reason for picking them?
4. Where was this story posted?
5. Who's the publisher of the site?
6. What is Schwandt's job?
7. How many of the top 15 does Trump pick?
8. Is this considered common knowledge?
9. How was the interview conducted?
10. What did Schwandt say about the story posted?
****
answer:
1. Donald Trump personally selects some of the finalists.
2. Michael Schwandt
3. some of the most beautiful women, in his opinion, were not in the top 15,
4. Guanabee.com
5. Daniel Mauser
6. choreographer
7. six
8. it's just kind of common knowledge
9. Q&A
10. highly inaccurate